A Singer, a Phantom, a Forgotten Love
by AriaYuuki
Summary: Phantom of the Opera AU. When Arthur Kirkland, a young, talented singer rise as an opera star, chaos began surfacing in the opera house. A tale of an ill-fated singer and the mysterious phantom that lurks in the shadow. But who is this mysterious opera ghost and what relation does it has with the young singer? FrUK/USUK Story outcome based on readers' decisions.
1. Prologue

**Paris, 1925**

It was a cool and clear evening in the city of Paris. Citizen filed through the street with their own business. Workers of the middle-class walked down the path to their home, some decided to stop by somewhere for dinner while some decided to take a break in a bar with some friends. Shopkeepers were preparing to close their shop and called it a day.

Even though dusk was already at bay in the city, the streets were as lively and busy as ever. Near to the city centre stood the majestic building which people had come to know it as the famous Paris Opera House. The building's design was just simply exquisite and artistic, decorated with a fountain and multiple stone statues only enhanced its appearance. People of the upper class society arrived the place in horse carriages, dressing glamorously just for the sake of tonight's event. One-by-one, they entered the doors into the theatre. A poster was just next to the entrance, featuring a beautiful young woman in her twenties and the theme of tonight's play.

* * *

From his carriage, Francis Bonnefoy smiled at the sight of the beautiful city coming into life as night fell. Paris has always been his favourite place, its art, its culture and everything that makes it beautiful. The carriage came to a stop in front of the opera house. He paid the chauffeur before getting out of the carriage, thanking the man for helping him opened the door. He had a quick glimpse of the building before him. Even though there was a fire disaster years ago, most of the building was still intact and unharmed. Francis grinned in satisfaction that the managers make full use of the money he sponsored on maintaining the opera house well before he joined the crowd and entered the theatre.

In his office, Matthew Jones was busy calculating and recording the tickets they had sold for tonight. Once he was done with his work, he wiped the sweat on his brows before leaving his office to meet his brother. The other manager, Alfred Jones was standing near the entrance of the theatre greeting the audiences.

"There's going to be a lot of people tonight." Matthew said, standing next to his brother. "Like as much as two thousands."

"We have been on a tight budget recently." Alfred said. "Let's hope that this new production will boost our income this year."

"Lady Hedervary is a great singer. I'm sure we will have a good catch tonight." Matthew winked. His violet eyes scanned the crowd before he caught sight of Francis. "Oh hey, there's Monsieur Bonnefoy." He said while giving a wave.

Francis returned back with a wave as he made his way to the brothers. "Bonjour, mes amies, it has been a while since we last saw each other."

"Francis," Alfred smiled, "I have not seen you for two years. How have you been?"

"I have been busy with my business trip, but that does not mean I will stop my financing the opera house for great production." Francis grinned.

"Thank you for your patronage, monsieur Bonnefoy. We really appreciated it and I will make sure that we put this money of yours into good use." Alfred said, giving Francis' shoulder a pat. "Let's go to our private seat to talk while waiting for the show to start."

While the three headed to their private box, a little girl no more than 10 was running among the crowd trying to find a seat. But she was too short, to see around the crowded area, she hit onto Alfred's and fell down. The trio saw this and quickly went to help her up.

"Oh hello little one," Alfred greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see the opera show." The girl said.

"You're quite young to attend something like this." Matthew commented.

"I admire Miss Hedervary." The girl replied innocently. "She sings like an angel. I wish that someday I can be as good as she is."

Francis smiled back at her in a friendly way. "You will be, one day." He said. "As long as you practice, someday you will be a great singer."

"Merci, monsieur." The girl laughed before she left to her seat. Alfred, Matthew and Francis turned into the staffs' corner and climbed a staircase which took them to their box just above the theatre. Alfred scanned across the theatre, beaming in satisfaction that many people had come for tonight's occasion, this is just going to be great.

"Sings like an angel, just like the angel of music?" Francis quoted the words, his mind in deep thought.

"Something in your mind, Francis?" Matthew asked in concern.

Alfred went to sit next to Matthew as he said knowingly. "He must be thinking about what happened three years ago."

"You mean _him_ , right?" Matthew said softly. "Haven't you heard anything about him?"

Both Francis and Alfred shook their head in unison, obviously disappointed with the result. "No luck at all. But I believe we will meet eventually." Alfred said.

Francis drew a long sigh. "It has been three years already." He said.

Their thoughts were soon interrupted when the lights were dimmed, except for the chandelier that hung on the centre of the room being the only source of light. At the middle of the stage stood Elizaveta Hedervary, the lead singer of the night. With a strong voice, she sang along the music, capturing everyone's breath at such melodious tune.

As the primadonna continued to sing for the rest of the performance, the managers and the patron were all lost in their thoughts, letting the song brought them back to the event that happened three years ago. Under the faint chandelier light, memories of the angel of music began to resurface, a story of love, pain, joy and heartbreak that led to a train of unfortunate incidents…

* * *

 **Hello everyone, it's AriaYuuki and welcome back to my third long story. For today, I decided to focus on the story of The Phantom of the Opera which involves our Hetalia characters. I already had this story in my mind years ago, but my busy life won't allow me to write it until today. I also find that The Phantom of the Opera story is one well-favoured by many Hetalia fans, so I decided to give it a try. Of course, I'm not going to follow with the plot of the original story, I decided to go with some twist, so I was hoping to hear your opinion and views on this story which will in turn decide how this story ends up with.**

 **Are you ready for this? If you like this, don't forget to leave a review on your thoughts on this story. I will gladly appreciated it as my inspiration to write the story as what you wish it to be. Thank you for reading, I hope to hear from you all.**


	2. The Singer: Mysterious Disappearance

**Question of the story: Who should Arthur ended up with? Alfred or Francis?**

 **The poll is now on my profile page, please vote for it. Thank you.**

* * *

 **1922, Paris**

The Paris Opera House was abuzz. Dancers, actors and singers were all busy rehearsing for tonight's play. Staffs, stage crews and directors ran through everything and rechecking them to ensure that all was in place.

"To the left a bit." One of the stage directors, Ludwig commanded. The workers did as what he asked. He watched as they placed the props at the designated location before nodding as an approval. He was about to move on to the next part when one of the actors suddenly clung onto him.

"Ve! Luddy, do you want to share my pasta with me?" The person asked with a jolly voice. Ludwig seemed to jump a bit before straightening himself. "Feliciano, I'm busy right now." He said, causing the other man to whine.

"But Luddy…" Feliciano pouted.

Ludwig let out a sigh. "Feliciano, the rehearsing is still ongoing, and you can't just came out halfway like that. We will have pasta together after all this is over." At his words, Feliciano regained his spirits and he bounced back to stage where the rest are preparing for it.

"Gilbert, how did the work up there go?" Ludwig asked, directing above. "Are the lights functioning properly?"

"Ja." A man with silver hair and red eyes appeared at the loft above the stage. "Everything's set and running."

"Good, the next thing is…" He was about to continue checking on the rest when someone interrupted him.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." Everyone in the box froze at the voice. They all recognized this voice, though it may sounded friendly, it could be also meaning that he is out causing ruckus.

Ludwig sighed before turning his attention to the man who just entered the room. "What is it, mister Braginski?"

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked, gripping the pipe on his hand. Seeing his innocent smile only made people shivered in discomfort, their manager had the tendency to violence without a proper reason. He once broke a man's leg because the opera house almost went into bankrupt that he vented on him.

"No." A man dared to say. A small Asian man with long black hair tied in a ponytail scoffed at him. "Or should I say, yes?"

"Oh, Yao-yao, you never bored me out, da?" The manager grinned, Yao just rolled his eyes at him as if saying 'will you shut up?' "What brings you here, by the way?" Yao pressed on, motioning the rest to continue their work.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot." Ivan smiled as he snapped his fingers. Two men around the age of twenty entered the room. "As you all know I will be retiring soon, these will be your new managers for the future to come."

Everyone in the room heaved out a sigh of relief. Nothing could be better than Ivan Braginski, the current manager of the opera house retirement. It could've saved so many lives and heart attacks from happening.

Ivan turned around to introduce the men with him. "This is Alfred F. Jones and Matthew W. Jones. They will be running the opera house from now on." He directed at two bespectacled men with blonde hair and identical look. One of the men who had sun-kissed blonde hair with a cowlick and sky blue eyes beamed a charming smile that caused some of the girls to swoon. He took it as his cue to speak, "Of course, from now on, I, Alfred Frederick Jones will take over this opera house and support all its production. I'm gonna make it be the most famous place for music in the whole world." His brother, whose hair and eye colour were a bit duller in shades just smiled while nodding to the crowd.

Ivan smiled and turned to Yao, who did not flinch at his creepy aura. "This is Yao. He has been in the opera house for more than twenty years. He will show you around the people and the opera house so that you will get to know better of them."

Yao bowed before the new managers before he straightened himself. "I'm Yao Wang, and I'm in charge of taking care the actors, singers and dancers. Sometimes, I also instruct dance movement." He began leading them through the stage, Ivan treading behind as he oversee the rehearsing progress. "As you can see, we are now rehearsing for tonight's play as a farewell ceremony for Mister Braginski."

Yao directed them to where the cast were preparing to be on stage. They saw a beautiful young lady sitting at a corner fanning herself. She had unnaturally pale skin, long chestnut brown hair tied into a wild bun and viridian green eyes. Next to her sat a bespectacled man with dark brown hair with an aristocratic look, he was seen handing her a glass of water to drink. "That was Lady Elizaveta Hedervary, she is our lead singer." Yao introduced, "The man next to her is her fiancé, also known as the famous pianist, Roderich Edelstein."

They continued deeper into the backstage where they saw a group of young dancers and actors were busy practicing or putting up props for the play. Alfred dared to let his eyes flirted across the young dancing ladies and men, until his eyes landed on someone particularly familiar person.

"That is my son, Kiku." Yao said, directing at a petite black-haired young man who waltzed around gracefully, but the person that had caught Alfred's eyes was even better than Kiku. "That young man over there is Arthur Kirkland."

"Kirkland?" Matthew perked up at the name. "You don't mean the famous musician?"

"Arthur was his child." Yao answered. "He came to the opera house as one of our dancer and actor when he was eighteen. Though I treated him as my own son, he has a promising talent like that of his father."

Alfred fell into a trance as he watched Arthur twirled and spun gracefully on his feet without tripping. Beautiful, Alfred marvelled at Arthur's graceful movement like a swan and light-footing like a butterfly.

* * *

Ludwig clapped his hands to signal that they began with the play. "Miss Hedervary, are you done yet?" He asked. With a nod, Elizaveta stood up and strode to the stage to begin her role as the lead singer. The conductor, Feliciano directed the band to begin the music which she would be singing.

Elizaveta sang quite well, her voice smooth and well in-sync with the notes, but just as the melody was about to reach the highest point, her throat could not take the pressure and she ended up in a fit of coughs. Roderich immediately went to her side rubbing her back soothingly.

"Miss Hedervary, it was the third time we try this and you still can't get through it." Ludwig just shook his head in disappointment. "You usually do better than this."

"Ve, Ludwig, she was sick. You shouldn't pressure her too much." Feliciano piped in, not wanting Ludwig to keep ramble on.

"I don't think… I can make it tonight…" Elizaveta choked, her voice sore from singing and coughing. "I try, but I really can't."

"But…" Ludwig was about to say something but Roderich shot a glare at him. "I'm afraid Eliza isn't in her top form today and she needed some rest. She won't be able to perform tonight." Everyone in the opera house fell into desperation as the lead singer decided to quit for tonight. Roderich frowned tightly, finding it hard. "I'm sorry…"

"But what are we gonna do?" Alfred yelled from afar. "Without the lead singer, the play won't be a success without their star and we will have to refund the tickets to the audience."

"We can't let that happen, da?" The creepiness began to double and everyone could feel the room temperature dropped drastically and they shivered. "It is not easy having all these done and now that you want to cancel it?" Elizaveta could felt a pair of eyes sizing up at her and her knees somewhat became weak under those purple glare.

"It's not that she wanted to…" Matthew said, but Ivan did not hear him. Yao stood aside, his face as calm as ever as he was weighing the situation. The rest sank into desperation.

"I-If… If there's something I dare to say…" Elizaveta said weakly. "I have a suggestion." All eyes directed at her, and she felt her fear dissipated a little. "I would like to suggest Arthur Kirkland as my replacement for the time being until I'm recover."

At her suggestion, everyone was shocked and all the eyes soon shifted to Arthur. Arthur's emerald green eyes could only widened in shock when Elizaveta recommended him to take her place, as the lead singer.

"Very funny joke, Hedervary." Ivan mocked. "Though I would say, he has a very pretty face." Alfred sent a glare at Ivan as if he was going to snatch away his treasure.

"I believe in him." Elizaveta stood to her ground. "He has been quite a good singer and even takes singing lesson."

"B-But… I can't…" Arthur stuttered.

"A dancer, leading the play?" Ludwig quirked his eyebrow questionably.

"Why not give him a try?" Alfred said. His heart leaped in joy that someone had finally noticed Arthur's talent.

"Well, better give it a shot than having to refund." Feliciano commented. He signalled the orchestra to play the melody. Arthur took a deep breath before he began to sing. Unlike Elizaveta, his voice seemed to fuse together along with the melody. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Arthur in amazement, Elizaveta, Yao and Alfred were smiling brightly, Ivan and Matthew were relief by the fact that they won't have to refund the tickets.

* * *

The night was a success. Arthur proved to be a prima donna of splendour and radiance. Dressed in a white gown, his voice seemed to travel to all corners that infected the audience. He sang of the snow, the Northern Lights, and the beautiful yet lonely adventure. His voice brought them to the vast sea of endless journey and a meadow filled with beautiful blooming flowers. The house went into uproar that the audience began cheering and clapping.

Arthur sang on, along with the music, and finally hitting the last note beautifully on a high pitch. The toll seemed to have taken on Arthur as soon as he finished his last note, he fainted before the audience. The staff ended up carrying him to the prima donna's dressing room.

As Arthur was carried away, Alfred could only watched from above, hoping that Arthur will be alright. Matthew patted his shoulder to get his attention, telling him that he must greet the audience while took control of the situation.

* * *

Alfred and Matthew hurried to Arthur's dressing room where the crowds were gathering, holding flowers and eager to meet the new star. "It looks like we got more than we hope for." Ivan commented.

"Told 'cha." Alfred said, lightly punching his shoulder. "It is a fortune."

"And what would you do now?" Ivan asked.

Alfred grinned, "Well, if you all excuse me, I need some private moment with Kirkland." He said, taking a bouquet of roses from one of the crowd before heading to the door of the dressing room. But before he could knock or barge into the room, the door swung open and a man stepped out from the room. Alfred managed to regain his footing from hitting onto the man.

Wait, a man? What is he doing in Arthur's room?

" _Excusez-moi_?" The man standing before him had shoulder-length blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes and a little stubble on his chin. His smile was a little of a flirt and charming that could made the ladies fell to their knees.

"Who are you?" Alfred asked, more like he was demanding an answer. He could feel anger rising in his chest. "And what are you doing here?"

The man ran a hand through his hair before saying. "My name is Francis von Bonnefoy, patron of the opera house. And I just came to pay Mademoiselle Angleterre a visit."

"How dare you just enter like that?!"

"He fainted, I must see him to make sure he is alright, _rien d'autre_?" Francis said, closing the door. "He is my friend, I have the right to be concern of him."

Friend… he say. No, it was more than that.

"No one but me is allowed to get close to Arthur." Alfred spat. "You better stayed away from him or I won't let you go alive."

Francis frowned. "My, what kind of a _directeur_ you are…" A grin then broke out from his lips. "Looks like we are interested in one thing common, non? We will have to fight and see who will win Arthur's hand."

"Do it." Alfred almost yelled it out. "Arthur loved me more than anyone else."

The two were to continue their argument but Yao suddenly appeared. He noted the crowds that were gathering outside Arthur's room and Alfred and Francis were bickering just by the door with everyone watching. Shaking his head, he demanded everyone to stop and asked the crowd to leave the place.

"If you two want to argue, please find somewhere else but here." Yao sent them a glare. "Arthur was stressed enough with today's matters and he is not seeing anyone tonight." He then sent them away from the dressing room. Alfred saw Francis smirked under his lips, he probably thought himself victorious for being able to see Arthur under Yao's nose. He was not having it, he won't let Francis had Arthur, Arthur belonged to him.

Alfred walked away from the group as they split. Once the coast was clear, he snuck behind the props that were placed outside the dressing room. Making sure that no one was around, he walked up to the door and gently knocked on it. But there was no reply, Arthur probably was still laying on bed resting. He gently turned the door knob and crept into the room.

The room was dark, the only light source were the few candles in the room. The extravagant room was filled with roses and flowers given by the crowds. Alfred looked around the room, but it was void of human presence.

There's no way Arthur left the room, could he? No. He had been standing by the door with Francis all the time and it was not even five minutes when Yao forced him to leave. Also, he was sure that no one entered or exited the room other than Francis. Alfred stood in the middle of the room, stunned. There was a breeze, which blew off the candles and he shivered as chill crept up his spine. Weird, is there something wrong? Knowing that he won't find Arthur in the room, he left the room, unknown that someone was watching him.

* * *

 **What do you think of the story? I have been dying to write this forever. There are not much Hetalia story that revolves around POTO. There were a few that involves USUK/FrUK, but they were discontinued which I find it disappointing. This is why I decided to come up with my own.**

 **In case you all wonder about what happen in the gala. In the original story, Christine actually fainted after singing. People ended up crowding outside her room but Raoul was the one who stopped them, so hope you like this part.**

 **In addition, I decided to introduce the characters and their role here.**

Arthur Kirkland ( **England** ) – Christine Daae, the new prima donna of the opera house.

Francis Bonnefoy ( **France** ) – Raoul, Vicomte de Changy. In the original novel, Raoul was said to have 'small, fair mustache, beautiful blue eyes, and a complexion like a girl's and an air of "just having left the women's apron-strings." Also, in the 2004 film version, Raoul had a resemblance to Francis, which I think it suited France the most.

Alfred & Matthew Jones ( **America & Canada**) – New managers of the opera house.

Ivan Braginski ( **Russia** ) – The former manager of the opera house

Yao Wang ( **China** ) – Madame Giry, a lady had private communication with the ghost.

Kiku Wang ( **Japan** ) – Meg Giry. Kiku's last name changed to Wang since he was Yao's son.

Elizaveta Hedervary ( **Hungary** ) – Carlotta. I decided to make her character better instead of the proud and arrogant hype.

Ludwig, Feliciano, Roderich and Gilbert are a bit of a side-line character since I don't recall who those minor staffs were and they just make little appearance in the story.

 **And you all would wonder, who is the Phantom? The truth is, I haven't decide who should be the phantom. I was just too soft to make an antagonist. But for now, the phantom's identity will be kept hidden in the shadow. When the right time comes, his true face will reveal. So, which character do you wish would be the phantom? Do read and review, I appreciate it so much.**

 **I had posted a poll on my profile page. It is up to you all to decide whether this story should be USUK or FrUK. Go ahead and vote your decision! ;)**

 _Rien d' autre_ – Anything else?


	3. The Phantom: Beneath the Opera House

**France: 6**

 **America: 1**

 **Story based on poll's result. New poll if requested.**

* * *

While Paris Opera House was well known for its charm and beauty, there was always a dark side hidden underneath those values.

It started out as a rumour, but every rumour was born or originated from a certain truth that was passed down by people. As it spread, however, the truth began to blur and faded into the background while the rumour passed on like wild fire.

It all began when strange things started happening in the opera house. Some chorus girls said they saw a shadow in their dressing room, some staff and crew will said some of the props went missing, some people said they would heard someone singing or playing the piano when there should be no one in the theatre. Slowly, the tale began to surface regarding the presence of that 'someone' who resided in the opera house, the opera ghost.

The identity of this ghost remained unknown to them. From how things looked like, it was possible that he was once a renowned artist that died in the opera house. The cause was not clear, some said he died on stage while some believed that he was murdered. But one thing people knew was that he had taken residence in Box 5 of the opera house. The managers needed to ask for his permission in order to use Box 5 and paid him regularly in hope it will appease him.

There were also different account regarding the ghost's appearance. Gilbert, who liked to scare the girls would told them that he caught sight of the ghost's appearance. His account of the ghost's appearance was that of a full human skeleton body with blood red eyes and blood flowing out of it. He also mentioned that the ghost can be seen wandering in Box 5 near midnight, his skeletal body burning in fire. Though Yao had tried drummed in Gilbert's ears, warning him not to say all these things in front of people, but that man was as daring as death he was.

Some of the staffs and crews had also reported seeing a green light floating in the corridors of the dressing room and dance foyer. They believed it was also the ghost's doing. Popular believed it to be 'the man with death head'. Coming into eye contact with it was not a good thing, they would say. As those who looked into the death's eyes will got shocked that they died, those who survived will be plagued with insanity and they believed that this had befallen on the retired manager.

Another popular belief was also mentioned that the opera ghost has shapeshifting ability because he was once an actor who can played any role without losing the skills. In night time, he will transform into bats, rats, spider or even wolf to spy and prey on people. They believed that he will lure young ladies into his lair where they will ended up being slaughtered and disembodied, so that the ghost could use their bodies to make a perfect body host for him.

Although the tale varies, one thing was certain regarding the ghost. If someone stands in his way or refuse to obey his orders, there's a painful price to pay. And those with too much of a curiosity will end up being killed in the ghost's hand. After all, corpse won't talk, probably the best way to keep everything about the ghost's identity intact.

* * *

Night time fell in the opera house, the audiences had left and everyone prepared to retire for the night. Alfred returned back to his office in a frustrated mood. He almost got Arthur into his hand. Yet, that new patron, Francis, had to stand in their way.

"Al, are you alright?" Matthew asked in concern.

"No, I'm not."

"Is it about Arthur?"

"Of course, that Francis guy is getting too close to him. He's too pervert to be close to Arthur."

Matthew let out a sigh. "Getting angry about it won't solve the problem." He said, sorting out the documents on the tables. "Rather than frustrating over this, why don't you give me a hand here?"

"Whatever." Alfred grunted and he walked next to his brother and began looking through the letters.

Yao soon entered the office, a letter in his hand. "I have a letter for you, monsieur." Matthew accepted the letter from him, thanking him in the process. He observed the seal for a moment. The hardened wax seemed to have the image of a dragon… No, is that a lion or a horse? On another glance, it looked like an eagle head.

"Who actually sent such letters?" Alfred said, squinting at the seal.

Yao bowed a bit before answering. "I forgot to inform you all during the rehearsal. Here in the opera house, we have another person who secretly managed the opera house."

"You're kidding me right?" Alfred spat. "Then what are we the managers if this somebody took charge on managing the opera house?"

"I'm serious, young man." Yao said, his tone was grave serious. "This person, or whom we had come to know as the opera ghost, won't take people lightly if they disobeyed his orders."

"Ghost? A-And his orders…" Matthew gasped. "Y-You don't mean…"

"He welcomes you two to the opera house." Yao continued. "He also stated that unless permission is provided, you are not allowed to use Box 5 for any purpose."

"What kind of person is this? Thinking he could keep things all to himself?!" He snatched the letter from Matthew's hand and scanned through the letter.

 ** _Dear managers,_**

 ** _Good evening, as your loyal servant, I humbly welcomed you to the opera house. As per agreement, Box 5 is reserved for my own usage unless instruction allowed you to do so._**

 ** _It is also a great pleasure seeing the new singer singing for the night. His name is Arthur Kirkland, did I heard it right? He brings a new sensation to the show. I hope you will use him for future productions._**

 ** _Kind regards,_**

 ** _Opera Ghost_**

"What kind of person is he? He seemed to tick me off." Alfred commented. While the letter was written in a polite manner, he can sensed something hidden behind those words, like a hidden knife waiting to attack.

"While he may not ask for anything, it is wise that you pay him some reasonable amount of money every month." Yao advised.

"We have to pay him?" Matthew asked in shock.

"Mister Braginski paid as much as five hundred francs every month. Surely you can afford something like that, won't you?" Yao said, whether it was a mocking or an advice, they just can't tell. "You have to seal the money in a letter and leave it at Box 5, he will retrieve it by himself."

"Who did he think he was? Our boss?" Alfred said in frustration. "This gotta be a joke. I have no time to play with his tricks."

Yao scowled at Alfred's words. "If I were you, I would've obeyed his words. His requests were not hard to fulfil, weren't they?" He turned and prepared to leave. But before he opened the door, he stopped again. "Don't say that I didn't warn you, but the ghost will be out causing trouble if you don't listened to his orders." He reminded them before he left.

"Aren't you going to listen to him?" Matthew asked.

"Why should I listen to him? There is no such things as ghost. This thing is definitely a trick!" Matthew sighed, looks like his brother just got angrier.

Alfred looked at the letter written by the so called ghost. He decided to just dismiss it as a prank when he noticed there was something he missed. At the end of the letter, was a passage written in red.

 _ **Alfred F. Jones,**_

 _ **While I understand that you had feelings for Arthur Kirkland, but please refrain from getting close to him. Having a relationship with him is strictly prohibited, you had no right to be close to him as he already belongs to me.**_

 _ **Opera Ghost**_

What the hell was that?! What relation does this 'ghost' has with his Arthur?! And who said obeying his order is an easy task?!

* * *

In the Bonnefoy's residence in Paris, Francis was about to retire to bed and called it a day. To be honest, he never expected that he will be meeting Arthur in the opera house. What surprised him even more was that Arthur was chosen as the new lead singer and his singing skills had captured his heart.

"Just like back then…" Francis mumbled to himself with a faint smile. "Music is just perfect for him."

His mind went back to the moment when he visited Arthur privately in his dressing room after the show. Arthur sang so well that he ended up fainting. It worried him a bit, it was Arthur's first time after all. The moment when he entered the room, Arthur got shock for a while before turning into that of a shy expression. He didn't intended to do anything stupid of course, since it was their first meeting after years. Arthur had grown from a young lad into a handsome and attractive young man and Francis found himself instantly attracted to him. During that brief meeting, the two of them talk about their past and about their current lives. Arthur stated that things had been quite busy in the opera house, but he somehow managed it. He advised Arthur on taking care of himself and not to overwork himself.

And then, the new manager of the opera house came into his mind, he frowned instantly. It looks like this young man, Alfred, was interested in his Arthur too. Francis wasn't taking this lightly, he was determined to win Arthur's hand. After all, he did said that he will marry him years ago, there's no way he would broke those words.

"Sir, there's a letter for you." A maid knocked on the door before opening it and handed him a letter. Francis accepted it and thanking the lady in the process. Who could've sent a letter this late? His eyes landed on the wax that had the image of a serpent, or is it an eagle's head? And the body was like that of a horse, but then again it looked like a lion.

 _Merde._

* * *

Morning rose in the opera house and the residents were prepared to start anew for the day. Arthur woke up from his bed, cleaned and dressed himself. He took note of the flowers that were placed all over the room, mentally reminding himself to clean them up later. He was about to leave the room for breakfast when a voice called out for him.

"Mornin' my dear, I hope you had a good rest." The voice said, his voice echoed throughout the room.

Arthur stopped in his tracks, turning around to answer the voice. "I'm perfectly fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Do take good care of yourself." The voice said. "And I had a little advice for you too."

Arthur frowned, "What is it?" He had a bad feeling about it.

"It seemed like some people are interested in you. Two men to be exact, the patron and one of the managers." Arthur shuddered, the ghost must be talking about Francis and Alfred. "Don't get too close to them. Remember, you belong to me and only ME." And that came out to be a warning more than an advice…

* * *

 **Welcome back, do you enjoy the story? This chapter is a rather short one. I just don't know what else to write when a character has to remain hidden. But there's more to reveal, sooner or later in the story. Don't miss it out.**

 **In this chapter, we had a brief introduction about the rumours and possible identity of the phantom. I still had no idea about who should be the phantom. Though Fuwapanda gave me a good suggestion and I was considering it. It would take a few more chapters before the phantom's true face will be unveiled. For now, the phantom will remain in the shadow causing havoc, and I will take my time thinking 'bout it until the unmasking moment.**

 **So once again, which character do you want to be the phantom? Let me know in the comments below. And those who haven't vote, do vote the poll on my profile, should this story be a USUK or a FrUK fic?**

 **At the end of the story, we had our spotlight focused on the man who wrote this story, Gaston Leroux. A Frenchman known for his adventures and carefree spirit. He loves literature but his father wanted him to be a lawyer. After his father's death, Leroux inherited the fortune and spent them all on gambling in less than a year.**

 **He was not downhearted even at the brink of bankruptcy. He started working as a court reporter and drama critic, a combination of both his legal study and his fond of literature and theatre. His reports and papers uncovered several malpractice and corrupted officials, which made him a journalist and the greatest satisfaction in his life. During this time, he often travelled across Europe and Middle East, witnessing events first hand.**

 **But when his health deteriorated, he retired back to France and started working as a novelist. His first few books were of gory and bloody genre. In 1911, the book _Le Fantôme de l'Opéra_ (The Phantom of the Opera) was published, but responses to the book was rather disappointing. It wasn't until when the book was made into a film by Lon Chaney in 1925, only then the story gained its popularity. By that time, Leroux was in failing health and died on 15 April 1927 at age 59. He has written over 60 novels, but none made him rich. Among all of them, only two stories were recovered fully, The Mystery of the Yellow Room (1907) and The Phantom of the Opera (1911). The phantom has over-shadowed his creator and it was him that made the story lived on for decades to come.**


	4. The Manager: Chance Meeting

**France: 7**

 **America: 1**

 **Poll result till 4 April 2017**

* * *

"Ohaiyogozaimasu, Arthur-san, how are you feeling today?" Kiku greeted Arthur the moment Arthur entered the dining hall.

"I'm fine, Kiku. Thank you for asking." Arthur replied with a small smile, hoping to convince Kiku that he is alright.

"Yao-san and everyone was worried about you when you fainted on stage." Kiku said.

"It's really nothing." Arthur assured. "It's just that… I'm a little nervous yesterday night, since it's my first time being the lead singer that I must've overworked myself." He went to fetch his platter of food before setting down before Kiku.

"I'm really impressed, Arthur-san." Kiku spoke up. "Nobody expected you to sing that well, you even surpassed Miss Elizaveta."

"Is that so?" Arthur mumbled almost inaudibly. "I didn't expect myself to be that good either."

"You don't have to be that modest." Kiku said. "The managers are so happy with last night's play, and the audience too. I wish I can be as good as you do."

Arthur managed a faint smile as he sank into thought. It took him a while before he finally speak, "You know? When I first came to live in the opera house, I would sometimes find solace in playing the piano and singing to myself when nobody was in the theatre. That was when I started hearing this voice talking and singing to me."

Kiku blinked. "You mean your tutor?"

"I come to think it as my tutor. I heard his voice whenever I went and in sleep he sang to me."

"Isn't it a bit creepy as if he was stalking you?" Kiku shivered.

"He isn't stalking me." Arthur said. "I always felt comforted whenever I heard his voice, as if he was soothing me." His green eyes seemed to dull a little as he looked into a distance as if he saw something. Kiku followed his sight but all he could see was the opera garden from the window.

"Whoever this tutor of yours is, you must've a very strong connection with him." Kiku said, though his eyes were a little uneasy. "Anyway, we have to get going. Practice session starts at ten."

"I will meet you later." Arthur said, drinking his cup of tea. Kiku picked up his tray and walked off.

* * *

Alfred was busy sorting some documents with Matthew in his office. It was his first day as the official manager of the opera house and he must make sure that everything was all in order. He did not want his first day to be messed up.

"Monsieur Jones, zhere's something I want to talk to you." All of a sudden, Francis burst into the managers' office with a letter in his hand.

Alfred scowled a bit at the sight of the opera's new patron. If it wasn't because the opera house was depending on his financing, he would have chased the man out already. "What is it, Francis? We're not in the mood to listen to your whims!" Alfred said annoyingly as he stacked up some document.

"What is that? Is zhat how you treat me, your patron?" Francis retorted. He slammed the letter on the table before questioning, "Zhis is your doing, isn't it?"

Blue eyes fell onto the letter that was placed on his desk. Instantly, he recognized the wax seal on the letter, he saw it last night. He threw a cold gaze at Francis before replying, "I would never do such boring stuff, in case you want to know. It's not my doing."

He wanted to turn away but Francis got a grip on Alfred's arm. "Zhis is your doing, wasn't it? After all, you had wanted Arthur for yourself."

"If I wanted to, I would have challenge you openly, not write some stupid threatening letter like a coward." Alfred snapped back.

"If it's a challenge you want, then a challenge you will get. I won't go easy on you for winning over my darling Arthur."

"I doubt Arthur would want to be with someone like you." Alfred spat. "I heard that you have been flirting with many young ladies and you seemed to have so much fun with them last night. Who would ever wanted to love someone like you, young master?"

"Arthur and I had known each other longer than you had thought." Francis said.

Matthew who was sitting aside just can't watch this any longer. He stood up and quickly came in between them. "Now could you two just stop arguing, you all would have caused a ruckus."

"Desole, Mathieu, I didn't see you just now." Francis said.

Matthew placed both his hands at his waist, giving off an authoritative look. "Monsieur, I know you might not be happy with whatever the content is in the letter, but it doesn't mean that you can simply accused someone of doing it before knowing the truth."

"Mattie is right, didya hear that?" Alfred interjected. "You don't have any proof that we wrote this, do you?"

"Alfred, stop it!" Matthew hushed him with a glare. "Francis, in case you're concern about this, we received a similar letter from this person last night as well."

When he heard about Matthew's revelation, Francis raised his eyebrows slightly. "Mon dieu, what is in the letter?"

"He said he welcomed us to his opera house and how we should respect his priority and request on managing the opera house." Alfred answered. "Oh, he also talked about Arthur, saying how talented and good-looking he was." Blue eyes glanced at Francis, as if expecting his reaction to the news.

"Do you believe in all these things?" Francis questioned.

"Are you just foolish or dumb?" Alfred replied sarcastically. "Obviously, this is a prank by some people who wanted the opera house for himself. I would never spend my time on all these stupid jokes and pranks."

"But Alfred, can't you tell that all these were a little too much for a prank?" Matthew whispered in his ears. Alfred just ignored him.

"It's nice you just shrugged it off as a prank." Francis said, one finger twirling on his blonde lock. "But I'd rather take it seriously, especially when it comes to matter involving Arthur."

Alfred could felt his rage built up when Francis mentioned Arthur's name. He was about to yell at the man but was stopped by Matthew. The other manager hold his arm in a surprisingly iron-like grip and his violet eyes could tell that things weren't going to be good if he continued like this. Having no choice, Alfred decided to just let Francis go.

* * *

Sometime after past lunch time Alfred found himself walking the hallway of several practice rooms. He could hear the melody of the orchestra coming from one hall and the commanding voice of the dance instructor in the dance hall, at the other end of the hall, he recognized the singing voices of the choir girls.

Alfred listened the music coming from all direction, as if they combined into one great symphony. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone was calling out to him.

"Ex-Excuse me, sir?" That person called out to him. Alfred snapped out of his daydream as he recognized that familiar voice. He turned around to find himself face-to-face with a man with messy blonde hair, thick eyebrows and a pair of stunningly familiar green eyes.

"Arthur!" He gasped, his voice was a mix of surprise and excitement. "It's you."

Arthur looked up at the man quizzically. "Mr Manager, is there something you need?"

Now that was not an answer Alfred was expecting at all. He placed both hands on Arthur's shoulder, making Arthur looked at him eye-to-eye. "Arthur, it's me, Alfred. Don't you remember me?"

Arthur swatted Alfred's hands away as if it was nothing. "Mr Manager… Or Alfred, should I say, I don't have time to meddle with someone I don't know." He replied. "I still have things to do at the moment."

All Alfred could do was stare at the man before him with gaping mouth, a baffled expression on his face. "Arthur, you aren't joking, are you? Don't you remember me? I am the boy who got smacked in the head by a baseball because I looked at you for too long."

But Arthur did not seemed to pay any attention to Alfred. He lightly shoved Alfred out of his way to create pathway. "That was amusing." He said coldly. "For someone like you to get infatuated to the point of being hit, you could've lost your brain." He brushed pass Alfred's shoulder, turning back to face him again, Alfred could see some sort of uneasiness in his eyes as their gaze locked. "If you have nothing of importance, please leave. You could have done that flirting of yours at other places with other people." He said before entering one of the practice theatre. Alfred could only watched him left in disbelief.

Arthur doesn't remembered him? Why would he say such words to him? Alfred felt his heart sank as he returned to his office in disappointment. "Why did you forget me, Arthur?"

Matthew noted Alfred's sour mood the moment he entered the office. He knew what his brother had in his mind, but choose not to speak about the topic since it will only make things worse.

* * *

Alfred remembered the first day he entered high school. It was a moment he had waited since he was a child. He had always wanted to enrol in Springfield High School, dreaming of joining the school's famous baseball team. He father hoped otherwise, he wanted Alfred to focus on his study so that he can succeed and take over his family business. But he decided to let Alfred be, wanting him to enjoy his childhood and adolescence to the fullest.

It was then it happened. Alfred was carrying a pile of books heading to class when he bumped into someone.

"Bloody hell, watch where you're going." A heavy British accent said.

"I coulda said the same thing." Alfred said, picking up his books. He didn't manage to get a good look at the person he knocked down. He hastily picked up his books and fled the scene as he don't want to confront that person. He could've heard that person calling out to him, but Alfred totally ignored him.

 _Happiness and joy, sorrow and sadness_

It was during lunchtime that Alfred realized he lost his money and he was unable to buy himself lunch. Having no choice, he decided that he will have to starve himself on the first day in high school until when he felt someone tapping his shoulder.

"This is yours, right?" That person said. "You dropped it this morning when I ran into you." Alfred turned around, facing a young man who handed him his wallet back. "I tried to call you, but you just keep running away. Do be more careful with your belongings next time."

Alfred didn't registered what that person said to him. All he could do was stare into his eyes, the purest green he had ever seen in his life. He felt himself enchanted and being pulled towards those eyes.

"Are you listening, Mr Alfred F. Jones?" That person said, he almost practically yelled at him.

Alfred snapped out of his trance when he heard what the lad has said. "W-Wait, how didya know my name?"

"Your student card is in the wallet." The young man sighed.

Alfred accepted his wallet back from the young man, finding it hard to form words in his mouth. "Th-Thank you… I'm really sorry… for running into you earlier without apologizing."

The boy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "It's really… nothing." He said. "Though you almost broke my violin's bow, but everything's alright."

"Is it alright if I treated you for lunch today, as my apology?" Alfred asked, somehow finding interest in this young man. He thought he could saw the boy blushed on the cheeks.

"Y-You… You don't have to do that. I… I had already forgave you." He said. It was then he seemed to remember something. He looked at his watch before exclaiming. "A-Anyway, I had to go to attend something. Maybe next time." And all Alfred could do is watch him picked up his stuff and rushed off. _You and I, we shared them together._

Alfred didn't met that boy again for the few coming weeks. He could care less as well since he has been busy with school work and sports activity.

One day Alfred had just finished his baseball practice session and was preparing to leave. When he almost exited the school compound, he heard some sort of commotion behind the school building and decided to investigate it.

As he approached the noise, he saw a group of boys cornering a boy around the same age as him. He recognized them as the baseball club senior, one of them was swinging his baseball bat dangerously before the boy. They must have some sort of raging fit right now, seeing that they lost a match just now and was now out venting their anger. This boy appeared to be their unfortunate target.

"Get lost, you bloody son of a bitch." He could heard the boy said shakily. "I warn you to leave me alone or I will rip your head off!"

"You won't be able to do that, will you?" One of them teased. "How can you overpower six of us?"

The one holding the bat grinned maniacally. "To talk back to people like that, let's see who will win this!"

Alfred wasn't really contented to join in this commotion but his instinct told likewise. The moment when the bat was about to hit the boy, he quickly rushed and stood in front of the boy shielding him, taking the hit instead.

The hit was a hard blow. Alfred thought that he could heard his skull crack before he lost consciousness. Before he lost his senses, he saw a pair of worried emerald green eyes watching at him while calling out his name repeatedly.

Alfred didn't remembered how long had he passed out. But in between consciousness, he could heard the soothing voice of someone in his dreams, lulling him into sleep. _A field of grass lead to heavens..._

"You don't have to be afraid, with me by your side." The voice said. _A gentle wind passed by when you gave me a smile..._

"Wh-Who are you…?" He managed to ask.

"I'm your angel. I will protect you and always stay by your side no matter what or where. Even if you can't see me, I will always be there for you…" _Nothing to fear, forever in my heart like the flowers of the dream..._

When Alfred finally woke up, he found himself laying on the bed in his room with his head being bandaged. His family was just next to him, both having a mix of reaction and emotion to his injury. Luckily, the wound was not a big matter and he recovered quickly. He returned back to school after two days of resting.

Alfred didn't thought much about that boy or that incident, though he received some seniors make fun of him being a 'failed hero'. He wasn't going to realize that his life will soon take a turn.

It was just a regular afternoon where Alfred had his baseball training session. As they ran out of balls and bats, the coach asked Alfred to help him fetch some of their equipment.

As he made his way to the store room, he started hearing tune of a melody. His ears perked up, listening attentively to the hymn. The beautiful rhythm of the violin echoed in the deserted hallways. It was weird, he thought to himself. He never had an interest when it comes to music but why does this music was able to capture his heart?

Subconsciously, he began walking towards where the music came from, the music room. He noticed one of the windows was slightly ajar and decided to take a peak in the room to see who was playing the violin.

In the centre of the room sat the boy whom he knocked down on his first day in school, he can't recall his name, however. Alfred watched on, feeling enchanted by the violinist's play. Behind the boy was a picture of an angel with large wings, and from his line of sight, the wings seemed to merge perfectly with the boy. _I saw eternity only once._ Alfred could felt a gasp stuck on his throat as he hold his breath, awestruck with what he saw before him. "An angel." He whispered to himself.

He would have wished to continue watching the boy playing his violin, but a smack on his back snapped him out of his realm. "There you are." One of his baseball friend said, "You're supposed to fetch some stuff but here you are spyin' on people. The coach's gonna go through the roof with you being ten minutes late."

And after that, Alfred ended up back on his training field with his coach ranting on how slow he was and forced him to run ten lapse. But since then, Alfred's mind would surface the image of the boy playing the violin, as if it has intoxicated him. Ever since then, Alfred has been yearning on meeting the boy again.

It was another normal day in school. Alfred joined class and played baseball as usual. Once he finished with his baseball practice session, he packed up and decided to head straight back home. Just as he exited the school, he caught sight of the boy sitting on a bench reading. He decided that this was his chance to know more about the boy.

"Hey," He patted the boy by the shoulder, causing him to shift his attention from his book to him.

"Oh, it's you." The boy said. "How did you feel?"

"Of course I'm fine, dude." Unconvinced, the boy stood up and ran his hand over Alfred's hair and his forehead. Alfred didn't understand what had come to the boy, but when the later let out a sigh in relief, he could guess it mean good. "Thank goodness it's nothing bad, I'm going to regret over you getting injured for my sake."

Alfred didn't seemed to get the point until it hit him. "W-Wait, are you the guy who almost got hit?" He quickly grabbed hold of the boy's hand. "They didn't hurt you right, er… mr…?"

"Call me Arthur." The boy said, "Arthur Kirkland." He pulled away his hand from Alfred's grasp. "Anyway, thank you for saving me that day, I'm really grateful about it."

"No prob, it's the hero's job anyway." Alfred said.

"Hero?" Arthur quirked his thick eyebrow amusingly.

"I'm the hero, of course. And heroes are supposed to save people in trouble."

"And got yourself hurt in the process?"

"That mean nothing to me. We just have to get back up and fight."

Arthur managed a small laugh as he picked up his book. "It's really a pleasure meeting you, Alfred. But I would be going now." He turned to leave but Alfred quickly took hold of his hand.

"I saw you played the violin the other day. You're really good at it." He piped in.

He could saw a red tinge coloured Arthur's cheeks. "Th-Thank you, music has always been my passion. Since young, I was taught to play both the violin and piano, and my mother also taught me to sing."

"That's amazing." Alfred said cheerfully. "Your parents must be great musicians."

"You could say that." Arthur mumbled. "We came from England because my parents said there were better opportunity in America. Though I would prefer a quiet lifestyle back in my home country, but seeing so many cultures in America isn't that bad."

"Hey, did you live nearby?" Alfred asked again.

"Just somewhere down the road near Denver."

"Sweet, I live nearby that area as well. Would you like to come with me for a little walk around the park or something? I'm sure you could find something nice to see."

Arthur was taken aback by the invitation but was happy nonetheless. "I think I got some spare time before dinner. But as long as it's not too far, it would be ok." And hence, Alfred took hold of his hand and led him to their first destination together.

It was from that point onwards, their friendship has deepened. _Our lives are strolling in a world of wonder._ Alfred would listened to Arthur's play and the same as Arthur would watch Alfred playing baseball. _A poem of my life I will remember._ Arthur helped Alfred in his study since Alfred really sucked at it. He was also by Arthur's side comforting him when he was feeling down regarding his poor performance. _We radiated a dazzling light for the briefest moment._

However, their happy moments did not last long. Three years after their first meeting, they were forced apart by unexpected turn of events. Arthur's mother died of an illness. In order to forget such painful incident, Arthur's father decided to move back to England where they could spent some quiet and peaceful moment. _Time passes by, with merciless pride..._

Of course Arthur was sad about his mother's passing, at the same time reluctant to leave Springfield. Alfred was by his side all the time giving him the comfort he needed. _No matter how long the night is, the sun will rise again..._

Arthur once said his dream is to be a famous musician and had performance across the world, he wanted to enlighten people and make people remember him for his music and songs. "But will the people I hold dearest remember me? How will I recognize them when so many people remember the same song?"

"If people remember you because of your song, why not we write a song just for the two of us? In case we were to meet each other in the future, this song will help us recognize each other." Alfred suggested. They hence agreed that they will write a song in the name of their friendship during this three years' time. Within the few weeks' time before Arthur left, they spent most of their time writing this song and practicing it. _But I realized it cannot be kept inside..._

* * *

And just a few days after finishing their song to perfection, Arthur had left for England. Alfred wished him luck and here he was, reunited with Arthur in the Paris Opera House, but Arthur… doesn't remember him.

"Maybe I should try singing the song the next time I meet him." Alfred said to himself. He was in so deep in thought that he didn't realize he was walking down the theatre hallway. That was when his ear picked up some sort of familiar melody.

That song, the lyrics and the voice… He could hear the gentle rhythm of the piano, fingers flying across black and white keys like butterflies, gentle and soothing. _Birds are singing, clouds are drifting, trees are rustling..._

"Could it be…?" Alfred wondered, walking into the box where the melody come from. On the centre of the stage stood a grand piano, on the seat sat a young man with blonde hair. Alfred watched him playing the piano with much expertise skill while singing the song he and Alfred had spent writing to keep their memories.

"Arthur." Alfred gasped, once again seeing a pair of wings that once took his breath away behind Arthur as he played the piano. Arthur seemed to notice another human presence that he stopped playing and turned around to face him.

"Al… I mean, Mr Jones, what are you doing here at this late hour?" Arthur asked in surprise.

"I could have asked the same thing." Alfred said, taking a step closer. "Or rather, I am more intrigue to know why you would pretend not to recognize me just now."

"Some things are better off without answer." Arthur answered haughtily. "I don't intend to be rude, but people had their reason."

"You really didn't change at all, Arthur. Although you had become quite cold to your old friend." Alfred joked sarcastically.

"S-Sorry, Alfred… I didn't meant to do it…" Arthur said with a sigh. "But I'm really happy to see you, you know?"

A smile suddenly flashed across Alfred's cheek as he wrapped an arm over Arthur. "C'mon, I'm just joking, ya know?" He stifled a laugh while Arthur glared at him. "Anyway, great performance you had last night. You really captured everyone's heart, but you gave me a heart attack when you fainted on stage."

Arthur smiled a little and ran a hand over his hair. "I'm fine. It's just that it's the first time I was given such a role that I probably overstress myself." He continued, "But seeing my wish come true. I'm quite happy with it."

"And you are truly gifted." Alfred added. "You sure took after your parents."

Arthur looked up at the ceiling as he talked, "When I came to the opera house at age eighteen, I would often sneaked into one of the theatre at late night when nobody was around. I would spend some time playing the piano and singing to my family far away."

"Your family…" A thought crossed Alfred's mind. "How are they at the moment? Is your father doing well?"

A sad frown soon replaced his smile. "Unfortunately, he died two years after my mother. He just can't take the grief of losing her."

"I'm sorry about that…" Alfred apologizing, feeling sad for his father's leaving.

"But before he died, he said he would sent an angel to my side. That angel will protect me and make my dreams come true."

"Does such things ever exist?" Alfred asked, feeling a bit uneasy when Arthur started talking about ghost and spirits.

"He did." Arthur answered. "Since I came to the opera house, I would hear a particular voice singing to me when I sleep and I also heard him talking to me sometimes. My father… He sent the angel for me."

"Look, perhaps you're fascinated with this angel of yours, but I don't think it's my liking." Alfred said. Arthur laughed amusingly, "I see that you're still the old Alfred I knew those years. You're afraid of all these stuffs at high school."

"And you always scared the crap out of me…" Alfred bit back playfully, not wanting Arthur to tease him. "But I guess you're right, now that you had become a famous singer in our opera house, second to Lady Hedervary."

A sigh escaped from Arthur as he thought about his so called Angel of Music. There was a moment of silent before he decided to speak up. "You're right, he will be watching over me."

"Hey Arthur, would you mind playing the piano to me?" Alfred asked. "I want to reminisce those days when we were young."

"I can't deny a request. It was the job of a pianist to entertain his audience." Arthur took a seat on the piano stool and began playing a few songs. Alfred closed his eyes, letting the music take over his thoughts. Soon, he forgot all his worries, and about his argument with Francis as well, it's just him and Arthur, being together like when they were young.

This continued until when Arthur finished his third song, he realized it was very late already and everyone has probably gone to bed. "I think we should retire to bed. It was quite late already."

"You're right." Alfred said getting up from his seat.

"Um… Alfred, could I ask you something?" Arthur suddenly piped up just when he was about to leave.

"What is it?"

"I was planning to leave the opera house tomorrow. My father's death anniversary is coming and I will be returning to England for two weeks. So I was asking for your permission to allow my leave, since there would be no lead singer for the time being…"

"It should not be a problem." Alfred said. "Since there won't be any show or production for a time being except for rehearsal. We will just have to make some arrangement so that you will be excused from rehearsal."

"Are you really ok with that?" Arthur asked. "I don't wish to delay everything nor disappoint anyone just because I'm not around."

"It's ok, Arthur." Alfred said, patting the Brit's shoulder. "I can handle it. We won't be having any important performance at the moment so you just take your time and have a rest before you return. I don't want to see you fainting on stage again."

"Is that a threat?" Arthur asked back, not finding the advice nice at all.

"As a manager, I have to be concern of my subordinate's wellbeing so that my business can prosper." Alfred said, putting on his manager's confident smirk. "Now c'mon, I shall escort you back to your room."

As Alfred led Arthur out of the room, he thought he caught sight of something lingering in the theatre. Blinking, he darted an eye sideway and caught a glimpse of something that resembled a ball of fire floating at the ceiling. A shiver ran down his spine as he quickly turn away his sight. "Alfred, what's wrong?" Arthur asked in concern seeing him spacing out for a moment. "I-It… It's nothing, just in thought." Alfred said, quickly leaving the area.

* * *

 **Ooh, spooky! It has been a while since I last update. I felt the need to give this story a little update from time to time to keep you all from waiting too long. But university life really sucks sometime that I barely had the time to update. Anyways, do please enjoy reading this story and if you like it, please leave a review on what you thought or add it to your list, I really appreciate it, thank you.**

 **Just a little rambling or sharing of my thoughts. I recently got my hands on the newest Pokemon game, Pokemon Sun and Moon. This new game has really made the hit with many Pokemon, of most were cute yet creepy. Many gamers seemed to like the Pokemon Primarina and hoped it to be a female because of its design and appearance. At the same time, when I saw the Pokemon Mimikyu and learnt about its backstory, it just hit me that how much these two Pokemon were connected.**

 **In fact, Primarina is a soloist and comes from the word Prima donna which means singer. And its signature moves Oceanic Operetta, obviously it resemble closely to an opera singer. So I tell myself that when I get a female Primarina, I was going to name it Christine which is the main character of POTO.**

 **On another side, Mimikyu has quite a number of fans as well because of its design and backstory, but not many nicknames has been decided on it. For my case, I called my Mimikyu 'Erik' because I personally think its backstory was almost similar to the phantom's story like how it disguise its true appearance and how it always feel lonely and desperately yearns for love and attention by playing pranks on people. The phantom seems to carry all these traits and made us wanted to love the both of them because of it.**

 **All the locations mentioned such as Springfield High School and Denver are purely for fictional purpose, if they are by chance similar as described in reality is just purely coincidence. Some of the lines belong to the song Ephemeral Flowers sang by Saki, also Davie's theme song. I looked through many songs and still think that this suited Alfred and Arthur's beautiful but brief moment being together. It's a bit sad though... Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this story and I will see you all in the next chapter.**


	5. The Singer: Call of Motherland

Arthur woke up early the next day morning. He packed up some of his belonging and brought along some money before taking a carriage to the harbour, where he would take a ship and sail back to England.

The journey back to his hometown in England took three days. Once he set foot on England, Arthur first made his way around the streets in the town of London. It would be his routine, visiting the shops he once visit when young, though not everything is the same as how he remembered. The city has developed and industrialized in the time he was away. He visited the old pastry shop he often went to buy his favourite scones and had tea. The owner still recognized him and gave him some of his bread and tea leaves as he left. The seamstress shop was still at its original location, but workers no longer embroider or sew clothing, everything was replace with sewing machine to help making work faster. He also had a stop by the town bookshop, the owner he once remembered had retired and now his son was working in his place instead. As he continued on, he found it sad that the bar his parents would often went to entertain its customer was close and replaced by other shops. As dusk was drawing closer, Arthur continued on his way towards the outskirt of London where his home was.

* * *

Arthur walked down the familiar pathway that led to the mansion of his childhood, a place he loathed with a core. Personally, he had some distaste of this place. No, he doesn't hate this very place he once called a home, he just disliked some of its occupants. In fact, this was the place where he first came to on the day he was born and grew up before the family temporary left for America.

As the mansion lawn came into view, Arthur could smell the crisp air of London's countryside. Springtime was his favourite season of the year where bluebell will cover the lawn in different shades of blue and purple. He would spent his time playing with the fairies at the pond in the nearby woods. His father would then accompanied him to go riding around the countryside as they enjoyed a moment of silence.

"How nostalgic…" Arthur mumbled to himself as he approached the mansion. The autumn breeze blew by, but he ignored the chills. He continued forward, his shoes stepping on the dry autumn leaves. Autumn, as people say, is beautiful yet sad at the same time. His father quoted it as 'the moment when all the good things come to an end and preparation for the final moment.' To him, autumn is the time where happiness existed only in memories and the only thing that remained in reality is a void.

Slowly, Arthur approached the doorstep to the mansion. He was about to knock on the door but it was suddenly swung open with abrupt force. The person who did this could've bumped onto him but luckily he managed not to do so.

"Oh… So ye'r back, like finally." The man before him grumbled. "We have been waiting for you."

"I hope the waiting is not too long." Arthur mocked, stepping into the house. "I expected my homecoming ceremony to be more… exciting, but I guess that will not happen at all."

"Ye'r expectin' too much." Alistair snorted. "Get in her' already, we got work tae do."

Arthur mumbled something under his breath as he went to put his baggage in his old room. The faint scent of apple and cinnamon lingered in the room, reminding him of his childhood. While he won't voice it out, his brothers had done a good job maintaining his room to make it look presentable and comfortable. He scanned his room for moment but didn't stayed for long as he quickly went to help his brothers on the preparations.

To say that Arthur hated it brother, it wasn't a lie. Yet, it wasn't the truth either. His eldest brother, Alistair would be the one teasing and making fun of him the most when he was a child. That hasn't stopped yet. Seamus and Fergus would laugh him as a 'mama boy' because of his interest in embroidery and gardening. They would often laughed at Arthur being more girlish rather than manly since he was good in performing arts. While Dylan was being more understanding, he did nothing in comforting but joined the rest when he got bullied. Though it was rather understandable, since Arthur's interest were the closest to his parents which made them proud of him, the fact had made his brothers jealous of the attention he received.

"How did things go in Paris? Have you found a nice lady yet?" Dylan teased a bit as they cleaned up the compound.

"I swear that all Parisians are like frogs." Arthur muttered. "They spoke disgusting language and sat too close to you that you felt like being fucked."

"And yet, you lived there for almost three years." Fergus laughed.

"It's the art and music that captivated me, not the people."

"So? Have things gotten any better at the opera house? Has anyone finally recognized your talent?" Dylan asked.

"Things in the opera house has been quite hectic recently." Arthur answered half-heartedly. "You gotta be grateful that I managed to sneak out from there just to come home."

"Just like how you said it." Fergus teased. "Things would've been quiet if it weren't for you."

"If it wasn't because father and mother have an eye fer ye, we could've kicked you out. But since ye decided to run away, I can't help it." Alistair mocked. "But the house has gotten quiet after ye left, I couldn't help feelin' like everythin' s dead."

"That's not a nice thing to say, Alistair." Dylan said. "Though you got infuriated when Arthur left the house."

"I make my own choice." Arthur stood his ground. "It was your fault after all for treating me badly. I can't stand you guys teasing me any longer."

"Yea, that is our mama boy." Seamus teased back. "All father and mother cared about is you and you alone, they didn't care about how good we are no matter how hard we tried."

"I know you guys don't like the way father and mother treated you, but that doesn't mean they stopped caring about you. Don't you remember the time when you got yourself into a fight with a group of children? Mother ended up being by your side for weeks."

"I would have preferred that." Seamus commented. "But can you guys stop all the chitchat and help me set this up?" And everyone resumed back to what they were doing, occasionally a bicker would rise among the siblings but it was just the usual daily routine Arthur had come to appreciate being in the Kirkland manor.

* * *

The next day was a rather gloomy day. The sky was dull in the morning, clouds shielded the sunlight from penetrating onto the ground. The Kirkland siblings gathered together for once as they headed to the cemetery where the remains of their parents laid.

He remembered as a young boy, his father would play either the piano or the violin and his mother would sing and dance along with the music. At times, his mother will hold his hands and let him danced together with her, if not they would sang a duet. Eventually when he was old enough, his father began instructing him on playing the musical instrument. Both of them took pride on him, saying that he has their talent and would bring him along with them as they made performance across the world.

Arthur followed his brothers as they treaded across the graveyard. In the midst of the graves, there laid two graves side-by-side. There are some bouquet of flowers being left in place by the people who remembered the Kirkland for their wonderful performance. On the plate of the tombstone carved the names of Arthur's dearest people.

 **Henry Reginald Kirkland**

1873—1918

Loving father and husband

His memories now reside in his music

 **Elizabeth Rosaline Kirkland**

1876—1916

Beloved mother and wife

She now sings with the angels

Arthur couldn't help but let himself broke down for once, not caring that drew people's attention. They were his parents, the people that made him be who he was today and yet, they had to leave before he got the chance to share his success with them. There were so many things yet to fulfil, dreams that they always vowed to make it come true, the future which they always hold on with hope and yearning. But all those came to an end before they could see it becoming fruition.

He remembered the day when his mother died. She came into contact with an epidemic. His father was desperate to save her but the doctors said there's nothing they could do. That night, Arthur stood by the door as he peeked into the room where his mother laid in her deathbed. Her voice was a low and raspy one, so unlike the usual enchanted voice that would enrapture the heart of many. His father was by her side until she took in her last breath.

After that tragic incident, his father decided that they returned to England. Staying in America has invoked too much memories of his mother, the family soon settled back into their quiet life in their old manor at the outskirt of London. Life had somewhat return back to normal. Arthur's brothers got themselves jobs to keep the family living. Eventually, his father would left the manor to do some performance on the street or the bar and sometimes, whenever people requested for his performance at the music theatre, but Arthur could sense some sort of emptiness in his music, as if the lyrics were gone. His father never truly recovered from their mother's death.

Two years after their mother's death, his father eventually succumbed, driven by the grief of losing his beloved wife. During his final moments, he told of Arthur about his music career and how he hoped Arthur to pick it up someday. He told of Arthur about an old friend called Yao who worked at Paris Opera House and said that perhaps someday Arthur would be able to be a successful artisan in the opera house. "I have faith in you, my son." He said to him, "Someday you will carry our family legacy on the path of music."

Things gone hectic after his father's death. His relationship with his brother was not a happy one, his parents' death had brought his happiness out of the home. Unable to bear the pressure anymore, Arthur packed some of his belongings and the money his father had left for him before leaving his birthplace in the middle of the night. Thereafter, he made his way to Paris and make acquaintance with Yao and his new life in another place began.

* * *

Arthur walked down the path in the forest just not too far away from the manor, lost in thoughts all alone. The dried leaves made crunching sound as his boots stepped on it. As he continued to walk down the path, the trail led him to a lake in the middle of the forest. This place was once Arthur's favourite place, the place where he met his fairy friends and played with them.

Slowly, he stood by the side of the lake as he gazed down at his own reflection. The calm water somehow reflected something troubling in him but he can't quite place it. Eventually, he decided that he would sing to himself, hoping that could calm his nerve. He remembered this song his father was intending to write for his mother, he told him that one of his ancestor had wanted to write this song but died before he could finished it. The song was incomplete, but his mother would sometime sang some of the chord, hoping to give him some inspiration. He found the song to have a rather soothing effect on him that it cleared away his thoughts. But, both his parents died before seeing the song came to completion. His father never brought himself to finish writing it as doing so brought back too many memories of his mother. One of his dying wish is to see this song came to completion, in the name of both his ancestor and his wife and Arthur vowed to fulfil it in his place.

" _You are the ocean's grey waves, destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach_ …" Before he realized, Arthur began humming the song. " _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time, the path is yours to climb_ …"

His singing was interrupted when he detected another presence, he wasn't all alone. "Who's there?" He asked, whipping around and trying to locate this extra guest.

"Is that really you, Arthur?" A voice called out, but he couldn't quite see the source of the voice. "It has been a long time, I'm so happy to see you."

It took a while for Arthur to finally notice a fairy just next to him. "Have we met before?"

"Don't you remember?" The fairy asked. "When you were young, you used to come here and play with us."

"Maribelle?" Arthur suddenly remembered, green eyes lightened up with delight. "I can't believe I'd see you again."

"This place has become really quiet after you left. Some of the fairies had moved away. I just happened to stop by for a rest, only to hear you singing." Maribelle said.

"It's good to see you again, Maribelle." Arthur said. "Though things had been rather hectic lately, I don't really live here now. I had moved to live at somewhere else."

"I understand." Maribelle nodded solemnly. "Things changed as time flies, and you can't do anything to stop it from happening."

"I know, but not all changes are bad." Arthur said. "I lost my parents. At first, I thought that my world has come to an end but on another thought, it was because of their death that motivated me to work harder so that I can be successful."

"I see you found yourself the answer." A small smile graced upon Maribelle. "Your singing has really improve, your song captivated me that I got lost in it for a second."

"I'm glad to hear that you like my singing." Arthur smiled in return. "This song was written by my father, but he didn't get to finish it so I'm doing it for him. But I just don't know if it will turn out good."

"You can do it, Arthur." Maribelle encouraged. "I believe in you. If you want to be successful, the first thing you need is to have confidence in yourself."

"You're right." Arthur smiled back. "Thank you, Maribelle. Your words mean a lot to me. I will do my best." And for once, he found some comfort being back in his homeland.

* * *

 **The ending of this chapter, it seems kinda… out of place, I just don't know how to put it. Anyway, sorry for the long wait, but I intend to make this chapter short since it was meant to be a little foreshadow of the future chapter.**

 **About Arthur's relationship with his brothers, it is not really that he hates them or that he do not care for them. Arthur's brothers are being rather jealous because Arthur's parents dotes on him for his musical talents and hence they constantly picked on him and make fun of it, some things doesn't change after all.**

 **The next chapter will probably focus on Francis and Arthur's relationship. And yes, update will depend on whether if I had the time to do so since my life had been filled with work and assignment non-stop. But I promise, I won't abandon this fic, I have to see it come to an end. So do please leave a comment if you really enjoy this fic, I really appreciate it.**


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